In order to make electrical termination to a printed circuit board, the art has developed various electrical connectors which are mountable to the printed circuit board and provide connection capabilities for external components. Typical of these devices are electrical connectors having an insulative housing with plural electrical contacts extending therethrough. These contacts include terminal portions which extend externally of the insulative housing and are insertable into through-holes in the printed circuit board. These terminal portions may be soldered or otherwise secured to the printed circuit board to provide mechanical and electrical connection. Many of these connectors are of the type known as right angle connectors having contacts which are bent at a 90.degree. angle so that external connection may be made to the printed circuit board in a direction parallel to the plane of the printed circuit board.
A connector of this type is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,230. As is typical of these right angle connectors, the connector is seated directly on the printed circuit board. However, there is also a need to provide a right angle electrical connector which may be positioned above the surface of the printed circuit board. These connectors include extended right angle contacts which make connection to the printed circuit board with the connector housing itself being raised thereabove. Connectors of this type allow for increased density of components on the printed circuit board, as valuable board real estate would not be occupied by the connector housing itself.
While providing certain advantages to designers of printed circuit board arrays, connectors of this type are subject to damage from external contact. Since the connector is secured to the printed circuit board only at the terminal portions of the contacts, inadvertent contact with the connector body could cause undue stress at the solder joints which may result in breakage or insufficient electrical contact thereat. Since the right angle contacts used in connectors of this type are rigid metallic members, any stress placed on the connector will be transferred to the solder joint thereby weakening or breaking the solder connection. It is also possible to permanently deform or even break a contact due to such movement. Thus it can be seen that special care must be taken when handeling printed circuit boards having such components mounted thereon.
It is therefore desirable to provide an electrical connector having contacts which will permit relative movement between the connector housing and the printed circuit board without placing undue stress on the solder joint or the contact itself.